Wilt, Klopas proud of mark MLS team has made in Chicago

Now a strapping adolescent, the city's Major League Soccer franchise marked a milestone 15th birthday Monday as past and present players joined executives, coaches and friends at a gala sponsored by fan groups at the Chicago History Museum.

On Oct. 8, 1997 — the 126th anniversary of the Great Chicago Fire — newly-minted general manager Peter Wilt unveiled the team's name, colors and logo at a Navy Pier news conference.

"Here we are 15 years later and the Fire have become history," Wilt said. "I'm very proud of laying the foundation of something that has become an important part of the fabric of Chicago sports."

Wilt and new coach Bob Bradley loaded up talent and the Fire debuted with a bang. Current Fire coach Frank Klopas scored both goals against the now-defunct Tampa Bay Mutiny in the team's first home in front of 36,444 fans at Soldier Field. The Fire went on to claim both a U.S. Open Cup and an MLS championship in the inaugural 1998 season.

Few were certain the Fire or the nascent MLS would avoid the fate of the old North American Soccer League, which collapsed in 1984. But MLS and the Fire stayed put, relying on tight payrolls and a handful of committed ownership groups.

"You had people who were committed — not only through the good times but the bad times," Klopas said. "We're at a better point where a lot of better days are to come."

The Fire started out at Soldier Field, spent 2002 and most of 2003 in Naperville, returned to rebuilt Soldier Field in October 2003 and finally settled into soccer-specific Toyota Park in 2006 in Bridgeview.

On the field, the Fire thrived well into the first decade of the 21st century with two more MLS Cup appearances and four U.S. Open Cup championships.

But they struggled in recent years with four coaches and only two winning records between 2007-11. Klopas, the onetime Mather and Fire star, has guided the 2012 group to their current 17-10-5 record and playoff berth.

"We're very bullish for the league, very bullish for the Fire," team executive Javier Leon said. "We're in a market that's going to continue to grow, that's going to demand results and hopefully we're going to continue giving people a team that will be competitive consistently."